The Cullens are a pack of self-proclaimed “vegetarian” vampires, refusing to feed off the blood of humans. And while SEOs may not have any desire to chow down on anyone’s necks, there is still a battle waging between black hat (AKA spammy) and white hat SEOs.

Taking the black hat route and engaging in spammy behaviour may seem like the easy option, but just like the “vegetarian” Cullens show us, it’s not the only way.

Making use of white hat SEO techniques can take much longer to pay off, but the results are longer lasting and are unlikely to see you run out of town – or dropping out of Google.

“I’m not going to make you choose between us.” – Edward Cullen, Eclipse

Bella finds herself torn between her one true love vampire Edward, and best friend and werewolf Jacob, but then, who hasn’t been there? In the world of Internet Marketing though we often find ourselves torn between PPC and SEO, but why can’t we take a leaf out of Bella’s book and have our cake and eat it too?

More and more SEOs are waking up to the benefits of combining the power of pay per click with their organic efforts for super-charged online marketing.

The two disciplines have much to teach each other – whether it’s making use of PPC to test headlines quickly or mining organic keyword data to discover new paid search opportunities.

In offline marketing you wouldn’t rely on just one technique to get your company noticed, so why limit yourself online? Embrace both paid and organic search to reap greater rewards for your website.

“A very talented family.” – Eleazar, Breaking Dawn

Leaving aside the vampire issue, the Cullens are no ordinary family, several of them have super powers too*. Individually they may be strong but united they are unstoppable. For SEOs working alone, link building can be hard work, but by utilising specialist skills of friends and colleagues it becomes much easier.

This could mean persuading that hacker whizz-kid you know to use their powers for good. Or it may just mean using the power of your social clout to get some attention for your post; whatever works best for your strategy.

Bella’s keen to vamp it up ASAP, Edward’s happy to wait to see his honey immortalised. And patience is a virtue for both love-struck teens and Internet Marketers alike.

Seeing traffic and rankings rolling in is gratifying, but it’s not a quick process – particularly if you follow an ethical strategy. If you need instant results, use PPC to bring in the traffic straight away, and use the time to learn what PPC can teach you to improve your SEO activities.

Don’t let a pushy client force you to use underhand tactics to get to the top quick as a flash, or you may soon see your website crash and burn in Google.

“It was a relief, that one small entry, the one myth among hundreds that claimed the existence of good vampires.” – Bella Swan, Twilight

Most SEOs will at some time encounter a client that’s been burnt by spam-meisters, making them naturally wary of all Internet Marketing.

And while this can be a difficult position to be in, it’s not impossible to turn it around. Just remember that actions speak louder than words. Earn your clients’ trust with positive results and by keeping in touch with them.

Be prepared to explain what you’re doing and why, and just like the Cullens did with Bella, you’ll soon win them over.

Internet Marketing may feel a world away from the realms of Twilight fantasy, but the industry can be every bit as cutthroat, albeit (slightly) less bloody. Be on your guard, make use of all the tools at your disposal and take the ethical approach to your work. If a vampire can do it, why can’t you?